Purpose: To analyze retrospectively the efficacy of intravitreal ranibizumab injections for the management of choroidal neovascularization in patients with angioid streaks over a long term.
Methods: In this "nonrandomized," double-center, retrospective, interventional case series, a consecutive series of patients affected with choroidal neovascularization associated with angioid streaks were treated with intravitreal ranibizumab injections (0.5 mg/0.05 mL). Best-corrected visual acuity, fundus photography, optical coherence tomography, and fluorescein angiography were examined before and after treatment. The primary endpoint was the percentage of eyes with stable or improved visual acuity at the end of follow-up (loss of less than 3 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study lines). Secondary endpoints were the percentage of eyes with stable or decreased macular thickness on optical coherence tomography (less than a 10% increase in macular thickness) and the percentage of eyes with persistent leakage on fluorescein angiography at the last observation carried forward.
Results: Thirty-five eyes of 27 patients were treated with repeated intravitreal ranibizumab injections (mean of 9.9 ± 7.2 injections, range 2-26) for a mean of 48.6 ± 17.1 months (range 8-66). At the end of follow-up, best-corrected visual acuity was stabilized or improved in 22 of 35 eyes (62.9%). Macular thickness had stabilized or decreased in 16 of 35 eyes (45.7%). At the last follow-up examination, on fluorescein angiography, no further leakage was observed in 27 of 35 eyes (77.1%).
Conclusion: In this large series of patients with choroidal neovascularization associated with angioid streaks followed for 4 years, ranibizumab injections allowed stabilization of best-corrected visual acuity in most eyes. Ranibizumab appear as an effective therapeutic option in CNV associated with angioid streaks over long time.